Dear Community,

We're excited for the start of UMBC Bold: Campus Conversations, which began this week and are scheduled through March. You can see this week’s sessions and the full schedule of conversations on our website. 

We encourage every member of the UMBC community to participate in this important initiative to help shape the future of UMBC. You are welcome to join as many conversations as you like (note that some sessions are virtual and some are in-person). If you cannot attend, or you prefer to share your feedback in writing, you can do so using this form.

Throughout UMBC Bold, we'll share weekly updates, including news and reminders about upcoming events. We hope to see you soon. 

Dear UMBC Community,

We are pleased to announce that our first campus conversations are now scheduled and available on the UMBC Bold website. We will update the site regularly as our subcommittees continue to develop additional listening sessions. 

All sessions are open and any community member can attend any session. We do ask that as you participate you share reflections connected to the particular topic guiding the conversation. Sessions are offered in both in person and virtual formats. Please RSVP for your chosen session so we know how many community members to expect.

If you are unable to attend any of the sessions, or wish to share your feedback in writing, you can share using our online form.  

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for connecting with us and the rest of the UMBC Bold team.

 

Dear UMBC Community,

I continue to be amazed by the inspiration and imagination I see every day on this campus. I am grateful for your commitment to this community in so many ways and am excited to share our next steps for UMBC Bold: Campus Conversations. This is your opportunity to offer your perspective on the current state of the university and your aspirations for the future.  

In partnership with our Committee Chairs, we have assembled eleven subcommittees that represent areas, topics, and constituents that we believe are vital to the success of this institution. You can review a full list of these subcommittees, and the community members who will lead them, on our UMBC Bold website. 

I have charged the chairs with hosting and facilitating campus conversations where all community members - students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners - have the chance to participate. These sessions will focus on three guiding questions: 

1. What achievements and core values should we celebrate and nurture?

2. What challenges might hinder our ability to advance our mission and vision?

3. What are your bold aspirations for the future of UMBC?

 

We will share the schedule of conversations soon. If you are not able to attend these sessions, or you would like to provide additional information, you can also respond to the three questions using this online form.  

At the conclusion of this process, I will be meeting with the committee to understand their findings, which will be incorporated into the university’s strategic planning process. The results of these meetings, and the comments that you submit, will inform our decision making going forward. Since candor is important, the listening sessions will not be recorded, and comments will not be attributed to individuals when reported out. 

 

We are a stronger UMBC community when we talk to each other, share our ideas, and challenge our assumptions. Thank you for your engagement and I look forward to our conversations to come.

 

Sincerely,

President Valerie Sheares Ashby 

Dear UMBC Community,

It has been such a pleasure to witness firsthand the strength of this community and to get to know many of you in my first few months. You have accomplished great things together and are poised to take bold steps forward as a national leader that redefines excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture. I know that my next step must be to engage in deep and comprehensive listening.

To that end, I am pleased to announce the launch of UMBC Bold: Campus Conversations. This initiative will allow for all in our community to share their perspective on the state of the university and to reflect on its future potential.

 

Vandana Janeja, Chair and Professor of Information Systems, Michelle Scott, Professor of History, and Greg Simmons, M.P.P. '04, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, have graciously agreed to chair a committee charged with leading the campus conversations. Two of our distinguished community members will also serve as honorary committee chairs: Adrienne Jones '76, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, and Alan Wilson, Chair of the UMBC Board of Visitors.

We hope that you will engage with us at sessions focused on a breadth of topics including: the academic experience, our research enterprise, partnerships, governance, and other areas that impact students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Our conversations will be guided by three questions:  

1. What achievements and core values should we celebrate and nurture?

2. What challenges might hinder our ability to advance our mission and vision?

3. What are your bold aspirations for the future of UMBC?

I am eager to spend this time listening and learning with you. I know that as we go forward, we must go together.

Thank you,

Dear Political Science Students,

We are set to hold our 13th undergraduate research conference for political science students on Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 from 11am to 1pm! All students who have written a strong research-oriented paper for any political science course or independent study are welcome to apply. 

Conference presenters usually present research that they have completed as a poster that they display on an easel to their visitors. The posters are made in Microsoft's Powerpoint. Normally, visitors study the poster for a few minutes and then interact with you about your work. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to disseminate your research and discuss your ideas to a larger audience. 

Below are a few photos from previous conferences to give you an idea of what the conference would look like. In the pictures, you can see an example of a poster.  Also, the UMBC Omicron Eta Pi Sigma Alpha group has received funding from the national organization of Pi Sigma Alpha to cover the costs associated with your participation in the conference, including the printing and mounting of your poster on a posterboard and lunch the day of the conference. Once we know who is participating, we will distribute information about how to make a poster in Powerpoint and if there is enough interest we will also hold a workshop. 

Please consider participating if you have a strong paper from a class or other research experience that you would like to present! It's a wonderful experience for everyone - for presenters and visitors alike. 

Thank you so much,

Carolyn Forestiere and Ian Anson 

Modified REX Report:Graduation Application Status

Folder: Student Records and Enrollment / Degrees / Details

This report can be accessed by those who have access to detailed Student Records and Enrollment reports by going to rex.umbc.edu, clicking on 'Guided Reports', then navigating to the folder mentioned above.

Apply to help make a difference on campus, and join SGA’s Senate, Finance Board, or Executive Team!

Hello! Astronomy Club will be meeting at 9pm in Phys401. We will be joined by Dr. Susan Hoban, a UMBC Faculty Alumna who has worked on the Observatory! She will be having a discussion on how science gets funded (it's very difficult). Hope to see you all there!